Carlow `replay' decision reversed

The GAA's Management Committee last night voted to uphold the Westmeath county board appeal against last Friday's Leinster Council decision that their championship game against Carlow be replayed. Cyril Hughes, the Carlow manager, said his squad deserved an apology from the authorities for rendering the fixture a farce.

The committee spent two and a half hours deliberating in Athlone before ending daily speculation about the validity of the controversial match in which six players were dismissed and which led to a number of unprecedented scenarios for the GAA to deal with.

The statement read: "The decision of the management committee is that the (Westmeath) appeal was upheld on the basis that there was a mis-application of Rule 104 in not awarding the game in accordance with the referee's report."

Rule 104 states that "a referee cannot make an award of a game. The award rests with the committee or council concerned acting on his report".

The Carlow county board had appealed the result of the game (Westmeath won 2-10 to 1-8) after it became apparent that referee Niall Barrett had mis-interpreted the guidelines for cautionable offences in sending six players from the field, four of whom played for Carlow. The Leinster Council's acceptance of their argument created a potential administrative minefield and Westmeath in turn appealed that development. The Carlow reaction was one of extreme disappointment.

"This is the most shattering news that the county has suffered in a long time. I now have to go and tell the players and I needn't tell you how they will take it," offered the Carlow county secretary Tom O'Neill.

"We had great hopes that the decision would be upheld and it is a bitter disappointment to us. We really believed that we were going to Tullamore for a replay as did our supporters. This is a massive blow," he concluded.

Ironically, the Carlow football team had been training in Dr Cullen Park when word broke that they were out of the championship.

"It was a bit surreal," offered manager Cyril Hughes.

"With the vibes over the last few days, we were half expecting it. We are all very disappointed," he said, lamenting that the authorities had not "seen fit to issue an apology to the 25 players for the nine months work they wasted and for the farce they made of the game."

The reaction from the Westmeath quarter was understandably subdued.

"Rule 104 has been tested at the highest level. We did what we had to do, we felt we had the obligation to the GAA at large, to all our divisional and county boards, that there would be no demunition of rule 104," commented Seamus Whelan, chairman of the Westmeath county board.

"Carlow exercised their right to object as they were fully entitled to. We played a match in Carlow, we won the match, it was a level playing field and we felt we should not be penalised because our discipline was quite good," he continued.

Whelan stressed that relations between the two squads were extremely cordial and that there was no sense of triumphalism at the success of last night's appeal.

"We were dealing with a specific item, the result of the match. It would be wrong for me to comment on any other aspect of this, sending offs, the workings of the GAC, the feelings of Carlow, the feelings of anybody. There is no delight in this. We accept the decision, as we would have done had it gone the other way."

Last night's verdict settles the immediate issue but it would appear that the general issues it created remain unsolved for now.

Referee Barrett's apparent stringent use of the yellow and red cards called into question the general principles behind the carding system, leading to a press briefing in Croke Park yesterday chaired by Paddy Collins, chairman of national referee's association.

Although he declined to comment specifically on the performance of referee Barrett, he did underline that all referees had been asked to "apply the rules in a fair and consistent manner and afford protection to the skilful player."

However, he also stated that while certain blatant fouls still required automatic bookings, referees were instructed to caution players for after a first minor transgression which came under the persistent fouling and to note his number. Any subsequent foul would lead to an automatic booking.

It became apparent after the Carlow-Westmeath game that referee Niall Barrett had not received precise instructions in relation to administering yellow and red cards.

When questioned about Barrett's position in relation to the game, Paddy Collins would reply only that that was an explanation for a another time.

All senior championship referees will meet on a regular basis over the summer to discuss and receive on going guidelines to aid them in officiating. Ironically, referee Barrett was attending the first of such meetings last night, in the same building where the Carlow-Westmeath debacle was finally being laid to rest.